Kansas State University

MANHATTAN -- Six Kansas State University Air Force ROTC cadets have landed a key training assignment after their graduation and commissioning.

The six cadets, members of the university's Detachment 270, were selected for pilot training by the Air Force Rated Aviation Board. The board met in February at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama to select cadets from detachments nationwide for specialized rated training as pilots, combat systems officers, air battle managers and remotely piloted aircraft operators. Cadets chosen for these career fields begin training following commissioning as Air Force second lieutenants on active duty.

The university nominated six cadets to the board, with all selected for pilot training. In making its selections, the aviation board considers a cadet's results on a written exam and flight simulator exercises, as well as the cadet's cumulative GPA. A cadet's performance in officer basic training and the physical fitness assessment are also considered, as well as how the cadet ranks among his or her peers nationwide at the class rank level.

"The national average select rate from this highly competitive process was 57.9 percent. Detachment 270 had an astounding 100 percent selection rate," said Lt. Col. Jonathan Snowden, commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 270 and head of the university's department of aerospace studies.

"I am humbled by this opportunity that is a lifelong dream for many," said Anna Baughan, one of the cadets from Detachment 270 selected for pilot training. Baughan is a junior in communication sciences and disorders from Overbrook.

Along with Baughan, Air Force ROTC cadets from Kansas State University selected for pilot training include:

David Sage, junior in political science, Augusta; John O'Neill, senior in political science, Leawood; Timothy Maresch, senior in construction science management, Nekoma; David Simons, senior in economics, Overland Park; and Samuel Felts, junior in history, Wichita.